This shitstain of a cuntnugget needs to go down:
https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Dogukan+Akbulut
ALL the books he has posted are ILLEGALLY POSTED. And I found out today, after discovering he’d posted at least one of mine, that authors have been sending takedown notices to GooglePlay Books for WEEKS and their books are STILL showing up there.
The illegally posted copy of my book is here and keep in mind, it’s an ILLEGAL posting. Not all of the books he’s posted are showing up on the front page of his stuff. Authors, go search your books by your name and make sure this fucking shitstain isn’t listed as author/publisher: Dougukan Akbulut
And do me a favor, peeps? Please go and 1-star the link to my illegally posted book and put in your review that it’s illegally posted content in violation of copyright law, as well as please BOMB all the other books he’s posted that you can find with similar 1-star reviews listing it as illegally posted content. (Double-check the listing and make sure the fucker is listed, please do NOT bomb legitimately posted books with the proper author/publisher listed.)
Spread the word. Normally, I don’t post links to pirated books on pirate sites, but this shitstain is on GooglePlay, for fuck’s sake, and obviously Google is dragging their goddamned heels about it. Maybe if enough people get enraged and start bombing his listings with one-stars, MAYBE Google will FINALLY PAY FUCKING ATTENTION AND GET RID OF THE GODDAMNED FILE PIRATE. They’re currently FACILITATING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. If anyone wants to file a class-action lawsuit against Google, count me in.
EDIT 1: It looks like while books are still listed, many, if not most, of his buy links are getting turned off. So please, KEEP UP THE PRESSURE! Keep 1-star bombing the reviews sections (make SURE the asshole is the one listed, though – don’t bomb legitimate books, please) and keep up the pressure. If you’re an author, make sure to post the illegal links to your readers and ask them to 1-star bomb the books that are illegally posted. If we keep up the pressure, maybe Google will FINALLY start DOING something about this problem and actually delete the books and his account.
EDIT 2: Whelp, peeps, thank you! The asshat’s account has apparently been shut down. Clicking on the link to his name reveals just his name and no books (yay!). There is another one who’s a blatant pirate (notice they’ve pirated Catcher in the Rye?), and wow, all those IDENTICAL covers aren’t a clear sign at AAALLLL https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Cather+Dunus Maybe we can get Google to shut them down, too.
EDIT 3 (Wednesday, 4/22): Woke up this morning, and apparently the Cather Dunus account is down, too. Yay!! Her name comes up but no books attached to it. Although on the other one, I did click on an individual link and there are still books posted by him, yet when you click on his name no books show up on the page. It’s…weird. Google, just DELETE the damn listings already! You’re GOOGLE for chrissake! Strip all traces of these assholes from Google Play, and make it EASY for people to flag obviously pirated content for review, even if they aren’t the copyright holder. I mean, duh, when a guy is posting books he OBVIOUSLY isn’t the author of, that’s a problem. Ditto the Cather Dunus account. (ALL the covers were IDENTICAL except for stupid comic sans titles? Really???) Thanks to everyone who responded and helped with this!
So…..I got incensed about how difficult it was to leave the emphatic message I wanted to, and that in order to flag copyright infringement, I had to fill out a form?? Me?? I figure I’m doing them a favor, telling them when they are in violation of the law. One button is all it should take.
I prefer the written word… but could I find an address to provide either a letter or an email?
So…. I finally found a phone number and called, and waited… And finally told the rep the jerk’s name and particulars as well as my disgust with the process….and how bad both made Google look. At length. And then I took the customer service survey and left another verbal comment. Polite but energetic in both cases.
I feel better….time to go post reviews….
takedown copyrightviolators
@MJ – THANK YOU!!!!! <3
I am outraged on your behalf. This is not the first lowlife to attempt this but what is outrageous is that it is taking so long for Google to respond to takedown notices. Everyone loses when work is pirated. The author who is not being fairly compensated, the reader that is paying a thief, and the literary community as a whole who relies on secure distribution channels.
@Julaine – Thank you! We authors really appreciate our readers getting behind us to support us in times like these. We understand the majority of our readers ARE honest. <3
As your day is my night I was too late to do anything about this. But honestly – I get so mad at the idea from some who think “I am going to be a lazy @#$% and gonna make my money from other people’s work!” Then those who say “I can save money by getting this item for free” and do not acknowledge that they are preventing the person who wrote/created “….” from earning an honest living. Honestly ebooks are so cheap (and keep in mind I have to add in the difference of our dollar to the US dollar) anyway, why try to steal it – It is why I have a couple of fav publishers and go straight there! Hope you get to sit for awhile with a great coffee and relax after that angst.
@Vanessa – <3 Thank you! I agree, it's disheartening when people want to steal our work. If an author wants to give stuff away, that's THEIR decision, it shouldn't be STOLEN by file pirates.